this morning on "first look", the head of the nra fires back at critics explaining why he wants to address gun violence

in schools with more guns. retailers prepare for the last holiday hooray as time ticks away for procrastinating shoppers. plus, a u.s. senator arrested on dui charges. the world's most expensive christmas dinner. and "the hobbit" holds on. very good morning to you. i'm veronica de la cruz. days after the national rifle association's first public comment since the massacre, they're criticizing him for wanting to put armed guards in school. he's sticking to his guns. congress can't do anything about it until next month nbc danielle leigh joins us from washington. good morning. >> reporter: veronica, good morning. as that gun debate heats up, we are also approaching the fiscal cliff. we're talking about uncertainty now on two issues close to american's hearts and across the country people are responding. some spending less this holiday this season as the fiscal cliff

nears and others buying guns as that intensifies. fresh off a demand for armed guards in school, nra's wayne lapierre remained defiant in his one and only interview with david gregory. >> if it's crazy for calling for armed police in our schools to protect our children, call me crazy. >> reporter: the nra's leader dismissed calls for weapons bans. >> reporter: americans are responding, some buying weapons. >> i'm here to take advantage of an opportunity to do something about that before it happens. >> reporter: others protesting at gun shops. >> it's just not right. it's just insanity. insanity. >> reporter: back on capitol hill lawmakers address how to address this prickly issue, another stalemate and fiscal cliff negotiation. >> our republican colleagues by refusing to go along with revenues are risking the fiscal cliff. >> i think we're going to fall out of the fiscal tree.

there will not be a big deal. >> reporter: confidence in any progress now at a minimum. lawmakers return from their holiday recess on thursday, and when they do, they will have their work cut out for them. reporting live in washington, i'm danielle leigh. veronica, back to you. thank you so much. the pentagon says the commanding officer of s.e.a.l. team 4 has died in afghanistan. 42-year-old joe w. price died saturday of what u.s. military officials are calling a noncombat injury. they tell nbc news his death is being investigated as a possible suicide. s.e.a.l. team 4 was part of a mission to train local afghan police to combat the taliban. in the meantime in what is being called a possible insider attack, a civilian advisor was shot this morning by a woman wearing an afghan police uniform at kabul police headquarters. at least 53 international troops have been killed by afghan soldiers or police this year. back here at home now, it is crunch time for holiday shoppers.

many retailers have expanded hours and stepped up promotions to entice those who waited until the very last minute to finish their christmas list. nbc's frances coe has more. >> reporter: as santa finishes up his list and checks it twice before his big trip, most americans are headed out, too, to finish shopping for everyone on their list. >> just getting something for my grand mom, something for my mom. >> mom, dad, brother, sister. >> sneakers for my nephew. that's it. i'm done. >> reporter: but according to a survey last week, there are millions of shoppers who are not quite done. 132 million to be exact. 26 million hadn't even started. >> i know who i need to buy for but not what i'm buying yet. >> reporter: to help in the holiday rush many stores like target, toys"r"us, and macy's stayed open around the clock this weekend and plan to through christmas eve. >> a lot of people have really challenging work schedules, traditional work schedules really no more.

and people like the convenience. >> reporter: and although a recent poll show 17% were planning to spend less this year, retail analysts say sales this holiday season are on track to top $586 billion. >> if we recall black friday did about $11.2 billion in sales, but they had very strong results compared to last year. retailers are hoping that the consumers will come back and deliver those same strong results. >> reporter: so with only one day left to get it all wrapped up, shoppers are expecting a hectic. >> try to come at the end, that way you get good stuff. >> i think it's more fun to do it at the end. >> reporter: but happy holiday eve. undoubtedly this will be a tough christmas for many of those still suffering after hurricane sandy, but some of that pain has been eased by a relief project called train of hope led by a group of folks who know firsthand what a big difference a helping hand can make. nbc's michelle franzen has more.

>> reporter: at the amtrak station in new orleans, volunteers from nearby swidell hard hit by katrina are on a mission organizing and packing up pallets of diapers, shoes, and blankets. the second run of donations for hurricane sandy victims. residents and firefighters here paying it forward. >> specifically we were focused on trying to make it better for the kids up there. >> reporter: in addition to basic supplies, this so-called train of hope will be filled with holiday toys all bound for sandy's smallest victims. >> reporter: 30 hours later the train rolls into newark, new jersey's penn station. 27 pallets in all, half the toys go to the marine's toys for tots program. the rest end up here at engine 155 ladder 78 in staten island. >> our own version of the polar express. >> reporter: children of firefighters, kids who lost everything in sandy's wake get

to pick out brand-new gifts. >> we lost a lot. he lost all his toys. so it feels good to be on the receiving end. >> especially during the holidays we know that there's a financial strain for the parents and we wanted to make sure that the children of this storm were still able to celebrate. >> reporter: louisiana organizers partnered with kathleen ryan who runs an annual toy drive in her husband's name. after sandy she wasn't sure they could meet the demand. >> through their tragedy they knew what we would need and what would be helpful to us. >> christmas is going to be good this year, right, ryan? >> reporter: the need for smiles and reminders that giving and receiving not only go hand in hand. >> such an incredible feeling to be on the giving end. you know, we've been on the receiving end before. >> reporter: but can also come full circle. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. and now for a look at your holiday travel forecast we turn to nbc meteorologist dylan

dreyer. so did you get your christmas shopping done? >> i got most of it done. there's a part of my family i won't see until after christmas so, you know, i did decide to push that off. then i'll hit up all the after-christmas sales. >> so you're excused. >> right. >> you're going to save some money after. >> we just moved. we're surrounded by boxes right now. it's been a little overwhelming but, hey, at least it is christmas time. the music is playing all over the radio and it certainly gets you into the spirit. and, in fact, oklahoma will get into the christmas spirit when you wake up to a bunch of snow on the ground tomorrow morning. there is the chance we could end up with some areas in oklahoma and northern arkansas picking up five to six inches of snow. it hasn't snowed on christmas day in little rock, arkansas, since 1926. so certainly a nice thing for the kids to wake up to tomorrow morning. the storm is actually still out here. we are in the meantime though seeing some rain showers, heavy at times, moving into western north carolina. this will continue to affect the east coast and then eventually move out over the water.

but, again, that bigger storm system still bringing snow and rain to the west coast. mountain snow has been brutal with about five feet of snow reported in the mountains of california. that is the area of low pressure that is slowly going to trek eastward and then eventually bring snow to the area in oklahoma and arkansas and even winster storm watches posted across southeastern missouri up into southern illinois and into indiana as well. here you see this winter storm warning right through oklahoma city. so it is going to get pretty nasty for traveling in that area where we could end up with, again, about six or seven inches of snow in this pink shade here. again, most areas in the east will be seeing a good amount of sunshine for christmas day, however, tonight into tomorrow morning a weak little disturbance will move through and bring just enough snow that you could see some of the white stuff on the ground in the northeast making for kind of a white christmas, i guess. a little bit goes a long way though when we're talking about the holidays.

veronica? >> yeah, that's true. just a little. thanks, dylan. coming up next, a syrian airstrike kills dozens in a bread line. a hero farewell for the late senator inouye. plus, what's on the menu for the world's most expensive christmas dinner? you're watching "first look" on msnbc. cdw has solution experts for everything. they optimized our data center and got us on the cloud. they even sent tour champion, paula creamer, to help with charles' swing. maybe don't do that. that's not good. no!

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hi. my name is maria sparza. i'm stationed at osan air force base. i want to wish my husband and my two boys merry christmas. i love you guys. mommy misses you. hi. i'm major mark palini. i'm here in southwest asia. i want to wish a great christmas to my wife and my two daughters. i'll be home soon. i hope you have a great christmas and happy new year. happy holidays to you as well. some stories now making news this morning. activists in syria say government war planes attacked a bakery in a rebel held town killing more than 60 people, some of them children. it appears to be one of the deadliest aerial attacks in that

country's nearly two-year long civil war. u.s. senator michael crapo says he is deeply sorry for being arrested and charged with dui sunday. in honolulu, president obama and first lady michelle obama attended a memorial service for senator inoyue. comments from mitt romney's oldest son that has gotten people talking. it has been seven weeks since the election and there has been a steady stream of details coming from both campaigns. now comes the revolution from tagg romney that his father had no desire to run for president again, at least at first. we have more on that story from boston. >> i have just called president obama to congratulate him on his victory. >> reporter: as mitt romney, members of his campaign staff and top gop leaders continue assessing how he lost the election to a vulnerable incumbent president, the oldest

son of the former massachusetts governor is raising eyebrows about his dad's initial reluctance to make a second white house run. in a story published in the "boston globe" tagg romney said his father, quote, wanted to be president less than anyone. he would have been ecstatic to step aside. "boston globe" reporter michael krenish interviewed tagg romney. >> i know there were serious discussions at the time before he decided to run and he looked at the field of competition and saw it was pretty waeak and his family pushed him. >> reporter: nbc's garrett hake spent a year and a half covering the romney campaign. >> in between campaigns romney was definitely stung by the loss but he never took his eye off the ball. he wrote a book about his own personal politics and he used his pac to fund other republican candidates and that's the kind of thing you do if you think you might run again, keep your options open. >> the next president of the

united states! >> reporter: if he was reluctant to run, mr. romney seems to have been under some pressure at home to strongly reconsider. last summer his wife ann told nbc's natalie moralis she urged her husband to enter the 2012 race despite his failed bid in 2008. >> i was the first one to say this time, you have to do this again. yes, it was going to be painful. yes, it was going to be hard. yes, we might fail, but we had to go forward. >> reporter: a discussion of desire and defeat still lingering. ron mott, nbc news, boston. markets will be open for a half day today and closed tomorrow for christmas, but a traditionally quiet week could become hellish for traders. as fiscal talks drag into the 11th hour with $600 billion in tax heights and spending cuts due to kick in early next year. lawmakers will get back to the table later this week after house speaker john boehner's plan b fails to gain enough

republican support for a vote. still, the market has been resilient. despite friday's decline the s&p posted its best week in four and with just five trading sessions left in 2012, the dow has advanced 8% while the s&p 500 has jumped and the nasdaq has jumped 16%. reports are due on pending new sale homes in the nation's 20 largest cities. so are you still not sure what to get for the person who has everything? new retail numbers show footwear was the fifth most popular gift on shopper's list on black friday. a year ago shoes didn't make it into the top ten gifts for the season. good news for hollywood. attendance by movie goers is up 5.5%. ticket revenue is expected to jump by 6% by the end of 2012 which would be the industry's biggest yearly increase in nearly a decade. surprisingly strong sales on thanksgiving, look for some

mcdonald's restaurants to be open on christmas for the first time ever to boost december sales. check this out, a well known london chef has been offering what is being billed as the world's most expensive christmas dinner. all for the bargain basement price of just over $200,000. most of the proceeds here go to charity, but, still, no takers for this fancy feast which includes $60,000 bubbly, $4,000 melon, $10,000 worth of edible gold leaf and check this out, coffee beans excreted by a wild cat. huh? moving on to some sports now. the envelonfl's week is complet. who is hotter than the seattle z hawks. ask the 49ers. seattle's richard sherman picked up the loose ball and returned it 90 yards. the z hawks led 21-0 on the way to a 42-13 win. along with the victory the z hawks locked up a playoff berth. dallas forced overtime after

trailing new orleans by 14. drew brees found marques colston in overtime and his fumble was recovered. garrett hartley's 21 yard field goal gave new orleans a 34-31 victory. at philadelphia now, robert griffin iii was back after sitting out a week with a sprained right knee. he found santana moss for a touchdown as washington won its sixth in a row, 27-10. with one week to play the nfc playoff picture has atlanta, san francisco, and green bay all in. the redskins host dallas next week to decide the nfc east. at the moment seattle and minnesota hold the wild cards. home fields are still up for grabs. chicago, dallas, and the new york giants still holding on to some hope. in the afc now, ben roethlisberger was intercepted by cincinnati's reggie nelson who returned the ball to pittsburgh's 46-yard line with on only 14 seconds to play. a.j. green was down the right

side for another 21 yards and the bengals ended pittsburgh's playoff hopes with josh brown's 43 yard field goal locked off a playoff berth for cincinnati with a 13-10 victory. finally, the only thing left to decide in the afc is who will get a first round bye in the playoffs, either houston or denver lose next week, new england can move up with a win. baltimore is the fourth seed at the moment. indianapolis and cincinnati will be the wild card teams. well, rihanna's massive donation and which "real housewives" star and her husband are calling it quick? tom cruise gets a thrashing from bilbo and friends. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪ it's so important to make someone happy ♪

when you give a child a toy, it has to work. ♪ make just one someone happy and when it's a toys for tots child, well, what could be more important? so this year, every hasbro toy donated to toys for tots will be powered by duracell. happy holidays. duracell with duralock. trusted everywhere.

hi. i'm lieutenant jennifer shippee from kandahar, afghanistan. i want to say happy holidays to my family in florida, virginia, california. i love you and miss you guys. good morning. i'm lieutenant frank grumel in afghanistan. i want to say happy new year to all my friends. >> happy holidays to you as well. here is your first look at some of the other news going on in america now. a holiday travel tragedy to start with in ohio. three adults and a child were killed early sunday. they went the wrong way on a highway and crashed head on into another mini van. two other children are in critical condition. authorities believe alcohol was

involved. residents of one community in north carolina have started a new holiday tradition placing 26 candle lit bags along their street to honor the 26 victims killed in the newtown, connecticut, shooting. the organizer says she plans to make it an annual event. and it was a happy reunion between a phoenix woman and her best friend kane, a siberian husky went missing from his backyard around nine months ago, possibly after being stolen, and then somehow ended up in oregon. but thanks to a microchip kane's owner was located and he was flown home just in time for christmas. and now for some entertainment news. notch another big win for the little guys. bilbo and pals dwarfed the competition at the box office for a second straight week. "the hobbit: an unexpected journey," raked in nearly $37 million. less than half of last week's haul, but still more than double tom cruise's "jack reacher," which came in second.

rihanna has gotten into the holiday spirit donating nearly $2 million to a hospital in her native barbados in memory of her late grandmother. she says the gift was her way of giving back to barbados. one year after separating, ashton kutcher filed for divorce from demi moore last week. the official may/december split could cost the "2 and a half men" star a pretty penny. moore wants as much money from kutcher as she got from ex bruce willis. that amount has never been disclosed, but it is thought to be considerable. and another hollywood ending. new york housewife-turned-entrepreneur bethenny frankel has separated from her husband of two years, jason hoppy. the 42-year-old tweeted, "i am heartbroken, i am sad. we will work through this as a family." and now for another look for the weather, here's dylan dreyer. nothing is private anymore. i thought back to her reality show, it wasn't private anyway. >> nothing is private anyway so

it makes sense to make your announcement on twitter. >> absolutely. >> keep it all out there for the public, right? we are looking at bitter cold air. look at the dakotas. temperatures below zero. tonight into christmas morning north dakota could see wind chills at 25 to 35 degrees below zero. that's where the cold air is located. the east coast though is starting off the day in the 30s and will top out around 40 or so in boston or new york city. washington, dc, 43 degrees. we are going to see a storm system move from the west coast and eventually start to spread into the oklahoma oklahoma and arkansas area. there is the chance we could end up with about five to six inches of snow. the first time little rock, arkansas, will have seen snow on christmas day since 1926. so a big deal especially when it's happening right around christmas time. chicago could get a little bit of a wintery mix as we go through the day today. down across the southeast, that's where most of the showers are. some of those showers have been heavy at times and that will

continue to move eastward as we go into christmas day. now christmas day in the northeast, it does look like we might start off with a little bit of the white stuff tonight into tomorrow morning. not much. maybe just a dusting, a coating on the ground. then it will change over to a few light rain showers. 37 degrees with a little bit of snow up into boston on christmas day. chicago will also see some of that snow too. look at where the cold air is sitting for tomorrow. we're looking at temperatures in minneapolis tomorrow, 17 degrees. 16 in kansas city and then down in florida, that's where the warm air is. temperatures in the 70s and 80s with a couple of showers down in florida on christmas day. veronica? >> 16 degrees. that seems wrong. >> awful. >> doesn't it? >> yes. >> little rock, arkansas, will have a white christmas. nice. i'm veronica de la cruz. happy holidays to you. this is "first look" on msnbc. [ male announcer ] when was the last time something made your jaw drop?

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